


A Night In

by systems



Series: Tumblr Drabbles [5]
Category: Free!
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Established Relationship, M/M, Sick Fic, Tumblr Prompt, as per usual from me, quick fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 17:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4145799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/systems/pseuds/systems
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sick!fic requested on tumblr. This is an AR where Makoto and Rin both live in Tokyo. Established relationship, they do not live together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Night In

**Author's Note:**

> This may or may not be part of the AU I'm building. If it is, Makoto really needs to start taking care of himself.

The street in front of Makoto's building is crowded, but Rin can see immediately that he's not there. He checks the time on his phone, but he's not early. Usually, Makoto would be leaning against the wall just south of the gate, waiting for Rin, if he couldn't persuade him to just meet at the station rather than go out of his way to pick him up. He heads inside and asks the security guard if he's seen Makoto.

"You're Tachibana's friend, right?" the guard asks.

Rin nods. "You remember me. Have you seen him today?" 

The guard laughs. "That hair and those teeth are hard to forget. I think he came in about an hour ago. Want me to call up to his apartment?"

"Please," Rin nods. 

The guard dials the phone on his desk. He hangs up after eight rings.

"Can you let me up?" Rin asks. "Please?" He's not sure why Makoto isn't answering. His phone is probably just on silent. He should have heard the apartment phone, though. 

"Of course," the guard replies, walking around the desk and to the elevator. 

Rin holds the door open while the guard uses his key and selects Makoto's floor. "Thank you." 

 

Upstairs, Rin knocks, but again receives no answer. He knows the code, so he unlocks the door. It beeps when he closes it behind himself. "Makoto? I'm coming in."

Leaving his shoes by the door, Rin stops in the living room first, noting that it's unusually messy. There are papers strewn across the table and a bowl and a glass on top of them. Makoto's bag is in the middle of the floor, halfway between the entrance and Makoto's bedroom, and his jacket is crumpled on the floor next to the couch. He picks up the jacket, smoothing it out and laying it carefully on the arm of the couch.

He knocks lightly at Makoto's door before opening it. 

It's dark in the bedroom. The curtains are pulled tightly and Rin almost reaches for the light switch, but he hears a sniffle and a snore, and he stops. His boyfriend is sprawled across the bed as though he'd trudged through the house and thrown himself immediately onto it. He's still in his street clothes. Rin feels a rush of affection for him.

Voice soft, he calls, "Makoto?" 

Makoto mumbles something and attempts to burrow under his pillow. Rin recognizes the movement as the typical "No, it's too early, Rin, please," of their Sunday mornings, but he's sprawled across the wrong way and his hand doesn't find the pillow. 

Rin slides his knee onto the bed and leans forward until he can get close enough to whisper, "Wake up, sleepy Mako." 

Makoto scrunches up his face, giving Rin a bleary look. 

"Didn't sleep well last night?" 

"No, I did, I'm fine," Makoto says, voice heavy with sleep. "Are you early?" He squints at his watch, but it's far too dark in the bedroom. 

"You're late." Rin stands up, patting Makoto's ass on the way. "Let's go, I'm hungry." 

"Right, sorry," Makoto says. He pushes himself up and off the bed and stands there for a moment, swaying slightly. 

"Mako?"

Rin feels everything around him stop for a horrifying moment, as he can only watch Makoto's face crumple into something like pain before his eyes shut and his body goes limp, pitching forward. In an instant he's leaped forward, but it's too late and he can't get his feet under himself to support them. They both go down. 

Makoto groans and shifts.

"Makoto?" His voice shakes. He can't help it. 

His boyfriend makes a tiny sound of acknowledgement.

"Makoto, what--"

"Sorry," Makoto mumbles. "Sorry." 

"What are you sorry for, what _happened_ , Mako, you're scaring me, please," Rin gasps out. His chest constricts painfully; it's hard to take normal breaths. 

"It's okay," Makoto murmurs.

"It's not!" 

"Blacked out for a second," Makoto says, and finding a bit of strength pushes himself up with one arm so he can roll off of Rin. He lands heavily on his back and keeps his eyes closed. "Sorry. I don't think I can go to dinner." 

Rin crawls over on hands and knees and runs his fingers over him gently, checking for injuries. "What hurts?" he asks softly. Makoto gives him a half-smile, eyes crinkling at the edges. 

"Rinrin," Makoto says. "I really worried you, didn't I?" 

"Don't "Rinrin" me, Makoto," he replies, though he'd never say how relieved he is that Makoto's coherent enough to try. "You can't sweet-talk yourself out of explaining what just happened." 

Sighing, Makoto lets his eyes drift closed. "I haven't been feeling well," he admits.

"Makoto." Rin pokes him in the chest. "More information, please." 

Makoto smiles up at him, but his eyes are tired and the smile drops quickly. "Tuesday? I think it was Tuesday." He explains that he'd started with a headache and chills, makes excuses for not having seen a doctor or even taken a day off school to rest. 

"Okay," Rin says, half to remind himself that everything is. "Okay. So instead of going out, we're staying in. No, first we're going to the hospital."

"Rin," Makoto groans.

"I don't care if you don't want to," Rin snaps. "You scared me." 

Makoto takes Rin's hand and lays it over his chest, keeping it there with his own. "I'm okay."

"You're not okay!" Rin starts. He stops, taking a shaky breath. "You just fainted, Mako. We need to see a doctor." 

Makoto squeezes his hand. "I feel better. Well," he amends, "mostly better. Did I hit my knees when I fell?" 

"Maybe?" His voice is shaking, but no more than the rest of him. 

"Rin," Makoto says. "Rin, Rin. Come here." 

Rin folds himself over Makoto until his forehead rests next to where his boyfriend is still holding his hand. 

"I'm okay," Makoto whispers. "I promise you. I'm okay." 

"If you faint again, I'm taking you to the hospital," Rin warns. Makoto wraps his other arm around Rin and holds him tightly. "I mean it." 

"I know." Makoto kisses the top of his head. "I know." 

 

Rin's reluctant to leave the apartment, so he calls the security guard to ask if there are places nearby that might deliver soup. The guard asks to speak to Makoto, and after being assured that his favorite tenant is in no immediate danger, recommends a Korean shop nearby that sells congee, among other things, and will deliver. Rin meets the driver at the door of the building, and this time he's got Makoto's key to get him to the floor he wants.

Soon, Rin's got Makoto on the couch, bundled in as many blankets as he can manage. They eat dinner with the radio playing in the background, and Rin plies Makoto with tea as persistently as he had plied him with alcohol in the less domestic, less assured days of their relationship. 

"Stop, Rin," Makoto says, grasping at the hem of his shirt. "I don't need anything."

"I'm just going to get--"

"Sit," Makoto says firmly. 

He only sits so abruptly to humor his sick boyfriend, really. 

"Stay," Makoto says, laughter hovering just at the edges of his smile. 

"I'm not a dog, you-!" He frowns at his boyfriend. 

"Good boy, Rinrin," Makoto says, voice cracking with the effort of not laughing.

Rin snorts. "No sex games today, you're too sick." 

"Rin!" Makoto looks and sounds scandalized, then seems to reconsider. "Actually, you'd be pretty cute with a collar…"

"Oi, Makoto!"

"Yes, Rin?" Makoto smiles sweetly. 

Rin scowls at him. "I'm sending you to bed early." 

Makoto grins, and Rin knows he's going to be just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> For the record, in this fic what Makoto experiences is most likely syncope from a loss of blood pressure (or a rush of blood away from the brain). If it only happens once, you're okay to not see a doctor. If someone passes out for more than a few seconds, multiple times, or hits their head on the way down, please get them to a doctor.
> 
> This is the second sick!fic that anons have requested. It seems like the scenario is familiar. I wonder what it is about seeing this big, muscular guy pass out from illness that people find appealing. Maybe seeing Makoto taken care of? 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @ systemsforfics.


End file.
